Santorum lines up Iowa organizers

A couple Iowa politicos made the point in my story today that no Republican presidential candidate has built a traditional, 99-county caucus operation so far this year.

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Rick Santorum has done as much - or more - of the conventional, unglamorous Iowa campaign work as anyone, and his campaign just announced a list of caucus captains who cover 50 counties:

Former Senator Rick Santorum announced today the recruitment of 189 caucus captains around the State of Iowa who serve as local organizers and ambassadors for the Santorum campaign. The extensive organization of the Santorum campaign reflects an equally extensive travel schedule and level of commitment to the State of Iowa. Santorum has visitedover 67 counties and has held 172 public events across the state, far more than any other presidential candidate.

Senator Santorum said: “I am honored to have such an outpouring of support from Iowa’s conservative grassroots community. Our campaign has made it a point to travel to all areas of Iowa, not just the major media hubs, and the support we are announcing today makes it clear that we are focused on earning the votes of all Iowa Republicans. I am committed to the First-in-the-Nation Caucus State of Iowa, and I look forward to workingwith this great team as we move on to victory in the caucuses.”

It's a testament to the leg work of Santorum and his team hat such an underfunded candidate has recruited that kind of operation. It's also a statement on the tactics of the GOP field that this announcement puts Santorum ahead of sometime Iowa heartthrobs Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann.